This invention relates generally to the mounting of light emitting diodes and similar devices; more particularly it concerns a method and means of mounting an LED to a circuit board in such manner as to obviate unintentional transmission of static electricity to board circuit paths.
It has been observed that circuit boards carrying LEDs were often subjected to unintended transmission of electricity to and along circuit paths on the boards. Such transmission was accompanied by destructively high voltage, which deactivated or damaged sensitive electrical components such as transistors, and LSI devices. Applicant has discovered that the source of such voltage in many cases was static electricity developed on the user or technician, and transmitted to the circuits on the board via LED's which the user frequently touched. Such LED's are commonly located on circuit boards to signal, by illumination, the activation of selected circuits. It is believed arcing occurred between the LED protective surface touched by the user, and the interior wiring within the LED, thereby transmitting voltage to circuits connected with such wiring.